The Betrayed DVD review

The kidnap thriller The Betrayed makes its DVD debut tomorrow, June 30th, from MGM Home Entertainment. Golden Globe nominee Melissa George plays Philadelphia housewife Jamie Taylor, a young woman whose seemingly normal life gets upended when she regains consciousness after a car accident, only to find herself chained to a grate in the cold, dark cell of a warehouse. She’s been badly bruised and her 7-year-old son, who was in the vehicle at the time of the accident, is missing. She soon meets her captor, a mysterious shrouded figure (Oded Fehr), who threatens that she will never see her son alive again, unless she snuffs her own husband Kevin (Christian Campbell).

Her captor tries to placate her to the idea of murder, by attempting to demonize her husband with accusations that he is actually a brutal killer and international heroin smuggler, who’s stolen millions from the crime syndicate they both work for. And time is running out, with the leader of the criminal organization (Alice Krige) headed to town within hours to collect the money.

Written and directed by Amanda Gusack (The Anniversary, In Memorium), The Betrayed is a fun diversion on DVD, but falls far short of being a superior nail-biter. Melissa George virtually carries the film, proving herself once again, this time as an ordinary person suddenly placed in extraordinary circumstances. Oded Fehr is also convincing as the menacing kidnapper, focused on his goal of retrieving the cash, before Krige arrives to shut everyone down – permanently.

In the end, you care about the main character and her desperate situation, but the lack of original twists and overall believability, make for a so-so effort, constantly relying on manufactured suspense moments and predictable situations. I wouldn’t say The Betrayed isn’t worth watching, because I feel it certainly is. But don’t expect mind-blowing thrills, just a nice diversion.

DVD Specs
The Betrayed is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic, and there are 5.1 Surround tracks in English & Spanish. There are subtitles in both of those languages, as well as French and English closed captioning.